Farmer in the Dell Rhyming Activity

This Farmer in the Dell Rhyming Activity is perfect for kid to really dig into! The idea is to make up a sensory bin with a farm theme to “play out” the rhyme. You can use whatever farm themed toys you have at hand, it does not have to be exactly according to the rhyme but if you can, it will be better for little ones to connect the toys to the words. Use whatever filler you have-I have used beans and lentils and a piece of fake grass.

Add word cards of the characters as found in the rhyme: farmer, wife, child, nurse, cow, dog, cat, mouse/rat, cheese. If you are good at drawing, add drawings(or cut out pictures, use stickers/stamps etc.) to the cards for younger kids.

Rhyming Activity for Kids

Say or sing the rhyme with your child a few times. Then try and recount(memory) the characters and the sequence. Identify them if you have the toys in the sensory bin. Pick out the words and place it in order.

Educational Rhymes

Educational value Incidental reading will occur when playing with the word cards and saying the rhyme. Your child might learn to recognize the first sound and letter of each card. Sequencing the cards and memorizing of “who comes next” are good skills to develop in kindergarten age children. You can have a conversation on why the farmer wanted a wife, and why the nurse wanted a cow etc. to work on reasoning skills too. And then, of course the sensory experiment(tactile aspect) of the bin is perfect for young ones! They can play the rhyme or make up their own stories using the props in the bin.

A lovely nursery rhyme (literacy) and sensory activity combined! Would your child enjoy this activity? Be sure to check out the previous nursery rhyme activities:

About the author

Nadia

Nadia is South African mom to two littlies, a former preschool teacher and currently working as a reading therapist at a remedial school. She blogs over at teach-me-mommy.com about easy and playful activities inspiring you to be your child's first teacher.